Atrocities: Serbia/Kosovo–Harassment of Women in Black
From the Women’s Peace Coalition:
A New Wave of Repression Against Women in Black
After the publication of a joint statement by the Women’s Peace Coalition (which consists of The Women in Black NetworkÂSerbia and The Kosovo’s Women Network) which included the organization’s opinion about the proposal for Kosovo’s final status, the Belgrade daily newspaper Kurir responded in the way they are known for.
If we consider the fact that this daily paper openly supports the so-called anti-Hague lobby and that it is controlled by certain secret police structures which decisively reject any attempt at normalization in Serbia and support the country’s isolation, Kurir’s interest in our
statement could be interpreted as an announcement of a new wave of repression against Women in Black.
This interpretation seems to be appropriate, especially in light of the behavior of Kurir journalist Jelena Jovanovic displayed towards Coalition members in a telephone conversation held on February 17th 2007. Speaking to Stasa Zajovic, the Serbian coordinator of the Coalition, she stated, among other things, “though you are
non-governmental organization you can’t demand that the will of the majority of the population in Kosovo is respected.� She cited unidentified sources when making this claim. She also said that this demand is unconstitutional and is punishable with prison.
When Jovanovic called Igballe Rogova, the Kosovar representative of the coalition, in Prishtina, she said “if you ask for Kosovo future status outside of the state and legal framework of Serbia, you maybe sentenced to 3 to 15 years in prison.� The article itself, published on February 18th 2007, is entitled ‘Prison.’ It is subtitled ‘Members
of Ceda’s coalition and Women in Black may face up to 15 years in prison, according to the current Constitution, for advocating for an independent Kosovo.’
Among other things, the article stated, “By proposing that Kosovo should be excluded from Serbia, the ’sub-branch’ of the non-governmental organization Women in Black called The Women’s Peace Coalition agreed with what members of the Liberal Democratic Party
coalition and Albanian representatives from south Serbia said in Parliament during its first session. All of them face up to 15 years imprisonment according to the current Serbian Constitution! The public prosecutor should perform his or her official duty and initiate criminal charges against this organization and its leaders.�
It is not realistic to assume that this journalist expressed an individual opinion, since that is not the practice of the Kurir newspaper. She likely acted on instructions from those power centers which want to further destabilize the Balkan and further alienate Serbia (from Europe).
Stasa Zajovic
Women in Black Network in Serbia Coordinator
Igballe Rogova
Executive Director
Belgrade/Prishtina, February 2007
Filed under: Uncategorized, Atrocities
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